Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Road in draughting education South Africa

As a  passionate advocate of the concept of multi disciplinary technical draughting, design and multi operational CAD driver package skill sets. Teaching technical drawing skills is imperitive for several important engineering careers. Not just understanding drawings but compiling technical drawings to be built from. 

School level education should be creating employable young people for the world of work as soon as complete. After 12 years of schooling we should really have a basic workforce ready to be employed. To my mind the school system at present is not creating an employable end product after 12 years of school. The students still need much additional education to become remotely valuable for the world of work and industry.

I was having a conversation with a school principle awhile ago, at one of the many education seminars i attend. I asked him why practical subjects like wood work, technical drawing, metal work, home economics and various other hands on courses had been completely dropped from the main stream SA school curriculum after 1994. His response really confounded me - I'm not sure if it is correct, however it could be and it is a fact that these practical important subjects have been completely dropped. He said - they dropped subjects across the countries public schools based on if all schools could afford the equipment. If the potentail for theft was rife at 1 school then no schools should have the privilege of carrying that subject. If the subject created difficulties in socio economically challenged schools then it was dropped! - According to him, all schools must be equal in disseminating information. Although this is noble, it is a very interesting approach and could explain why these valuable subjects have been completely dropped. (FACT)

Education for all, however limited education for all if all schools are not equal in handling the subject in equal measure and the same manner. Then all schools default to the lowest common denominator. This according to him was suggested by a highly esteemed education minister who was the architect of this approach shortly after 1994. Now i dont know if this is true, however i do know these practical subjects have been dropped. 

As an executive member of the SAID for close to 10 years now and having represented SAID at various SACAP forums. Ive had the privilege to sit between education, industry, voluntary associations and regulatory bodies for a number of years now. Running my own architectural practice has added additional insight into my chosen profession.

These are 4 very important pillars or domains and role players in the world of work arena. My own interpretation of Draughting is the ability to clearly communicate using technical drawings illustrations to graphic design and even some conceptual artists renderings are interpreted as draughting. (Escher)

Having the privilege to lecture  multi disciplinary draughting / design since 1994 at various draughting / cad schools. Starting at the cad training center in 1994, academy of advanced technology, academy of draughting,  intec, damlin, northlink college and currently at the academy of inventive design and technology in century city. The further priviledge of  currently being assigned the position of examiner and chief examiner for the department of education - south africa - creating isat's and exemplar papers for the NCV - architectural graphics and technology NQF level 1 and 2. This all sounds very bla bla bla toot toot fishpaste. However my point is im very close to training this multidisciplinary draughting skill set and subject.

i am always amazed at the incredible talent coming up through the educational system. Talent that does not always hit its straps within this benchmarking first 12 year arena. Late talented bloomers find it difficult in a world that measures one on school performance  -  unfortunately an arena that doesn't always correctly work with out the box thinkers.

So having spent many years in the after school teaching domain - I am now going to try and expose younger minds to the concepts of out the box thinking - With my little character Yip Trip. if one can spark and nurture talent before and whilst it goes through the 12 year school system. We can hopefully shield young sensitive creative minds and expose them to the concept of the creative mind within. An exciting prospect which welds tuition, industry expertise and designs around young creative futuristic design draughting mindsets.

So Yip Trip with his friend Thandile, dog Gidgit , sister Yippi Mippi and a host of other characters - will start designing whacky furniture, houses , office blocks and improving life in their home town Grebnezium (Muizenberg backwards.) The concept behind the character is to encourage out the box thinking before and during the formative 12 school years.

Most pictures for the story are compiled in technical cad packages (as i couldn't hope to compete with today's graphic artists) The ability to create graphic pictures using CAD packages is a different approach and should yield drawings that are interestingly different whilst giving off the idea that its not necessarily the medium you chose to use to communicate pictorial ideas - but the actual idea itself. Huh??!!

As one gets older all of ones experiences converge and if one is fortunate and if you live long enough you can draw from these experiences. You can then disseminate these  individual experiences. You will make it much faster for those behind you to elevate themselves into the world of work if you communicate your journey. We cannot possibly go more wrong than we currently are in this 12 year first phase teaching process. At this point training youngsters just to fly before they learn to land, will mean they have to stay airborne for longer. Huh???!! Pilots that cant land!!! "Perposterous" i hear say. Off with his measly little head.